The use of a laser to lase a page of a multiple sheet booklet such as a passport is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,783,067 and can be found in commercial systems such as the PB6500™ passport issuance system available from DataCard Corporation of Minnetonka, Minn. To lase a page of a booklet, it is necessary to guide the booklet into proper position, and once in position, to clamp the booklet to securely hold the booklet in position during the lasing operation.
In the case of passports, complicating processing on the booklet, and guiding and clamping the booklet, is that the construction of passports can vary from country to country. These differences include variations in the number of sheets, variations in the dimensions of the booklets such as, for example, variations in the sizes of the outer covers, as well as differences in the materials used to construct the passports which can impact mechanical handling of the passports.